The Sand-Worm Saga
Page to Picture Part 1 – Dune: Part Two
J. K. Tang & C. N. Vujanovic
BURROWING THEIR HEADS INTO THE GRAINED DARKNESS, Cal and Tangers snuck into their seats amidst a series of preliminary advertisements. Shoulder to shoulder. Seat to Seat. They latched onto Denis Villeneuve’s spice, ready for his long-awaited follow-up to Herbert’s canon, Dune: Part Two.
After two hours and 46 minutes of pure cinematic bliss, two moviegoers emerge from the grained darkness to unravel the seamless translation from Herbert’s pages to Villeneuve’s picture.
“As it was written” by Cal.
Dune: Part Two has been heralded as a cinematic masterpiece. Drawing on the success of Frank Herbert’s magnum opus, it is not difficult to see why. Sitting in the cinema next to Tangers – an infamous E2 English lad – I could feel his happiness exude from him as intertextual references, extended metaphors, and rich thematic exploration characterised the film. It is safe to say those were the happiest three hours he ever lived, all due to the power of literature (a personal favourite for English essays)!
Yet, to me, the film touched on something deeper. The exploration of philosophical themes and the references to the Classical Greek and Roman world led me to a similar state as Tangers. There were many ideas that were explored, but one stood out to me.
Herbert, in an interview, explained that Paul’s house was based on the Greek house of Atreus, which was ruled by Agamemnon, as seen in Homer’s Iliad. The reason this is significant is because Agamemnon’s rule, whilst driven by noble intentions, ultimately led to catastrophic consequences. Paul has similar power as his character arc transforms him from a reluctant prince to a charismatic leader, and once again, is similar to classical heroic journeys. His heightened abilities (not to spoil anything) are akin to a messianic figure. The innumerable scenes of banter between the Fremen from the south and the north are there to depict how individuals view religion separately.
However, Herbert’s critique is not specifically of religion; rather, he used messianic themes to show the dangers of charismatic and despotic leaders. In the wake of WW2, he critiques the blind devotion to leaders and the erosion of individual freedom under authoritarian regimes. A key feature of the second film is Paul’s internal struggle to wield power to achieve his goals. On one hand, he should use his power to control the Fremen to take back Arrakis. However, there are immense moral implications that could lead to the further oppression of the Fremen and the rise of tyranny.
One point I found interesting was that Herbert doesn’t say that tyranny is an inherently bad idea. Tyranny is simply the rule of a state by one individual. Yet this one individual did not magically get into power, but rather, a large portion of the state supported him, if not only oligarchs. I think what Herbert is more likely trying to say is that we should not romanticise democracy and crush authoritarianism. Rather, he suggests that there are merits to both. The film’s conclusion demonstrates tyranny can yield positive results, potentially suggesting the power of a benevolent dictator or what Plato would classify as a ‘Philosopher King.’
“As it was written” by Tangers.
Beyond the novelised philosophical backbone, Villeneuve’s Dune sequel premiers new, mind-blowing cinematic technologies to enhance our immersion into the rise of the “Lisan Al-Gaib.” Is there a better immersive technology than IMAX? Through Fraser’s cinematographic vision, the ARRI Alexa LF large-format cameras shot the film on IMAX at a 6K resolution, switching between anamorphic and spherical lenses.
To emphasise the immense depth and expanse of Herbert’s landscapes, the anamorphic lens held us into a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, allowing Cal to pivot his eyes across the endless beauty behind the foreground. These ocular pivots rekindled former SOR students’ insights into the historical conflicts between different worldviews, awakening thoughts on morality and other philosophical things. You can experience these thoughts at Agora every Thursday Lunch in room 8-G-6.
Shot on Anamorphic Lens + CGI (2.39:1)
Whilst in the Persian-inspired catacombs of the Fremen or the Harkonnen’s brutalist atriums, Fraser condenses us into the cropped, 1.48.1 aspect ratio of the spherical lens, somewhat sheltering those brief stints of exposition from the war. After each heart-racing duel between the subaltern Fremen and Occidental Harkonnens, tranquil scenes, via spherical lens, domesticated Cal’s spiced reflections on SOR, where his philosophising bottled up into a single unit of his HSC.
Shot on Spherical lens (Cropped and 1.48:1)
Between these cinematographic mediums, Cal and Tangers witnessed our literary and philosophical intrigues weave into Herbert’s exploration of the messianic anti-hero, burrowing us deeper into another spectacular chapter of Villeneuve’s sand-worm saga. The sand-worm saga it is. But Tangers’ insistence that he will watch it again is like the emergence of a sand-worm. It only comes when the people call for it.
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